400871 Professional Health Competencies: Cae Of Mr. Newcomb

You have been working as a nurse in the adult oncology unit for the past year. You have developed a close relationship with many of your patients, but Mr. Newcomb has a special place in your heart. He has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has undergone aggressive chemotherapy. Each day his wife has come to the unit to be with her husband. They have been married for over 40 years and share a deep love.

Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have made the decision to no longer continue with treatment and have decided that hospice care is needed. Over the past few days, you have watched Mr. Newcomb’s health decline, and you can tell from your experience that he does not have much time left to live. Mr. Newcomb has been very open about discussing his death, and you have had the opportunity to learn about his life and the legacy he will leave behind.

While you are completing your rounds, you stop in Mr. Newcomb’s room to see how he is doing. You ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Mr. Newcomb has rarely asked for anything, but today he has one request. Mr. Newcomb states, “Before I die, I would like to see my mistress one more time. Mrs. Newcomb is always here. Do you think you could tell her that I will be busy for a few hours tomorrow so I can make arrangements to see my mistress one more time?”

Reflect on the following questions before you begin working on this task:

.What would you do in this scenario?

.How can your knowledge of ethical principles be utilized to determine your response to Mr. Newcomb?

.How would this affect you as a nurse and direct provider of care for Mr. Newcomb?

Summarize how the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice apply to the scenario by doing the following:

1. Describe how you would respond to Mr. Newcomb’s request.

2. Evaluate how you applied the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to the scenario.

3. Examine how personal beliefs and values influenced your response to the scenario.

4. Describe three strategies to promote self-care. 

1.

In this case, as a healthcare professional, I would arrange for Mr. Newcomb to meet his wife, Mrs. Newcomb. This is because he has all the right to see the people he loves and this could be one of how he can ease his pain. According to healthcare professionals value family members should be allowed to have time with their patients in case a doctor or nurse do not attend to the patient. And for the instance of Mr. Newcomb, he is no longer undergoing any treatment because he decided with his wife he should stop it. Which means he is not occupied so much with treatments and medication and that his loved one can have time with him anytime. With his health condition, Mr. Newcomb I will allow him to see his mistress and not isolate him from his loved one (James, Nelson & Ashwill, 2014). This is because to nursing professional ethics and principles does not enable healthcare professionals to separate patients from their family members as it makes them feel lonely and in the process, it leads to their health deterioration which if not well attended can lead to death.

2.

In this case study of Mr. Newcomb, I will apply the four fundamental ethical principles to respond to his request. I will use the principle of respect for autonomy to respect his decision which he made with his wife that he should stop taking his medication and treatment (Judkins-Cohn, Kielwasser-Withrow, Owen & Ward, 2014). This is because this principle obliges us to recognize the decision which is made by adults who have the decision making capability. The principle urges that healthcare professional should tell the patient the truth and should respect their privacy. So for the case of Mr. Newcomb, I will have to keep his request as a secret between the two of us. I will apply the principle of beneficence by allowing him to meet his wife because it may ease his pain. This is because the principle is a moral obligation in which healthcare professionals should act in a manner that benefits the patients, and as a healthcare professional I should ensure that I provide benefits to Mr. Newcomb. The third principle I should apply is nonmaleficence to allow him met his wife because denying him the chance may increase his pain and affect his condition even more, and this principle holds that we should not inflict pain to others (Parahoo, 2014). Just like all other patients are given a chance to meet their loved one I will apply the principle of justice in which all patients and people should be treated the same and grand him the opportunity to meet his mistress.

3.

With my career experience, I was able to establish a strong therapeutic relationship with a lot of patients including Mr. Newcomb which helped me to earn their trust (Arnold & Boggs 2015). I was able to handle the deteriorating health condition of Mr. Newcomb who was suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer until he gave up on his treatment. As a healthcare professional, being taught how to show mercy and love to patients who are going through critical health situations. I had to apply this value to Mr. Newcomb and allow him to have some time with his wife before he dies because if I was in his situation, I could also be in need of the same favors (Holloway & Galvin, 2016). From my professional experience, I could tell that Mr. Newcomb stopped his medication and treatment he had fewer days let for him to live and thus I had to ensure that I kept him company whenever I was free and allow him to spend some quality time with his loved ones.

4.

There are various strategies which can be used by patients and other individuals in the society to promote self-care. The first one is by eating healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, and cereals. Healthy diets help individuals’ loss weight which helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases (Trotter-Mathison & Skovholt, 2014). People who are overweight or obese are at high risk of been infected by heart disease and some types of cancer. Whole vegetables and fruits lower level of calories in the body as compared to processed foods. An individual who wants to burn calories should look for foodstuffs which are capable of burning calories in their bodies. A healthy diet which is made of calcium and magnesium enhances strong bones and teeth. The second strategy is engaging in physical activities. Physical activities raise metabolism which helps lose weight so much easier (Council, 2013). For old adults, physical activities maintain brain functions which enable them to be able to make an appropriate decision based on the situation they are in (Harkness, Spaling, Currie, Strachan & Clark, 2015). Physical activities also improve the quality of sleep; this is because my bedtime an individual is so much exhausted which makes them sleep faster. The last strategy is cultivating hobbies and interest as they help improve their mental health and creativity. 

Conclusion

Healthcare professional can apply values, principles, and beliefs when they are attending patients. They should also ensure that they maintain a great therapeutic relationship with their clients so that they can be able to earn their trust. The therapeutic relationship enables the client to share their confidential information with healthcare professionals which they can use to make an appropriate decision on the kind of treatment and medication which should be administered to the patient. Healthcare professionals should give patients which can help them to improve their health condition. People should also be advised that self-care is their responsibility and they should ensure that they use some strategies such as participating in physical activities and taking healthy meals to improve their self-care.

References

Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2015). Interpersonal Relationships-E-Book: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Council, S. A. N. (2013). Code of ethics for nursing practitioners in South Africa. Pretoria: South African Nursing Council, 3-5.

Harkness, K., Spaling, M. A., Currie, K., Strachan, P. H., & Clark, A. M. (2015). A systematic review of patient heart failure self-care strategies. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 30(2), 121-135.

Holloway, I., & Galvin, K. (2016). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. John Wiley & Sons.

James, S. R., Nelson, K., & Ashwill, J. (2014). Nursing care of children-E-book: principles and practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Judkins-Cohn, T. M., Kielwasser-Withrow, K., Owen, M., & Ward, J. (2014). Ethical principles of informed consent: Exploring nurses’ dual role of care provider and researcher. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing.

Parahoo, K. (2014). Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Trotter-Mathison, M., & Skovholt, T. (2014). The resilient practitioner: Burnout prevention and self-care strategies for counselors, therapists, teachers, and health professionals. Routledge.